If you don’t like golf, look away now!

And my specialist subject (hardly!) is, once again, golf.

We’re in the final days of summer and I am playing as much golf as possible. I am not one of life’s gymnasium fans, although I know I should be. I have looked at the treadmills, weights, cross trainers and all the other equipment I don’t really understand and then looked away. Groups of women and men, head phones on to take away (some of) the sheer boredom as they pound away ending up in nowhere in particular, most of them much fitter than me, but seemingly even more sour-faced and miserable!

My pounding is of a different nature. I pound the golf course day in day out.

Mostly, I play the wonderful Par 3 course at Thornbury where the holes range from around 80 yards to 220. It’s maintained to ‘proper’ course standards and I can play it as often as I like because the membership price is affordable.

Since I started playing the game in May 2012, I have played the course on well over 200 occasions! I play ‘proper’ courses too, of course, but the Par 3 is my gym!

My average score is just over 71 over the 200+ rounds but these days I am more likely to shoot something in the low 60s. Today, I did better than that.

I shall refer to my friend as Gary M in order to protect his identity (and from his embarrassment of having to play golf with me) but I have some of the best times in my sporting life in his company. Not only is he a very decent player on his day, which I know he will admit it wasn’t today, but far more importantly, he is one of the nicest, funniest and honest people you could ever meet.

The sun shone as we laughed our way round the course. Golf is 50% in the head and 50% in the head. Today I was nearly 100% in the zone and, with one or two minor exceptions, my game was in great shape.

I ended with a 58, just four over par, with no birdies, 14 pars and two bogeys, one off my best scores ever. I have to be honest, it felt fantastic, but what felt even better was my friend Gary who was willing me on to break 60. In what other sport would you want an opponent to get a good score? I am not sure there is one. Whoever I play, I will my ‘opponent’ to sink that big putt. I honestly don’t care who wins.

My aim is to be as I can be. I know that time is against me – I’d have been on the seniors tour for some time had I been any good! – but what’s to stop me reaching a good level?

My golf coach, Sam Hughes at Saltford, believes there is no such thing as talent and that sporting success is mainly achieved by practice. I am of the opinion that, as a general rule, he is right. I used to be awful at golf and now I am okay, not bad, technically better than I used to be. And that’s because I play all the time.

58, my second best score, is important because it’s my best score with someone else there! The first of my two holes in one was not seen by anyone, the second cost me an arm and a leg in the 19th. Mostly, I play alone because golf is my gym and a significant part of my improved mental health.

On the golf course, I focus on the here and now, I concentrate and I feel in control. It has done me so much good in both physical and mental health.

The next thing will be to beat 57 on the Par 3 and that will take SO much doing but I believe I can do it and anyway it will be a lot of fun trying.